Hey everybody! Jenna here. I'm very excited to introduce our guest blogger Christine. This is her first post in a 4 (maybe 5) part series where she will get you caught up on everything you need to know about the shows airing this summer. This post is for everyone, but especially for those who have not seen Royal Pains. So don't switch websites! Go ahead and read what Christine has to say!
Summer may not officially start until June 22, but in my book, the beginning of June IS the beginning of summer. And why am I so pumped about summer? For the same reason YOU should be. It means the start of some of my favorite shows on USA Network. In fact, Royal Pains and Burn Notice premiere on Thursday, June 3. Mark your calendars (mine has been marked for months). You DON’T want to miss these amazing dramas.
Now you may be thinking “That’s all good and fine for YOU, Christine, but I’ve never really watched (fill in the blank show), and I have no idea who the characters are or if that dude in the corner is a series regular or an extra, or why that last line was apparently significant based on the reactions of the people on-screen…and I’m not sure I want to invest the time in becoming involved with a new show.”
I hear you. I really do. And that’s why I’ve put together the quintessential viewers’ guide for you all. It should hit on everything/one you need to know to enjoy the show. And for all you series regulars already out there, it will serve as a good reminder about what happened last season and what we should be looking forward to this season.
Royal Pains is up first. It has one successful season under its belt, and Season Two is premiering on USA Network (obvs) Thursday, June 3 @ 10/9c (I’ve got your back, Midwesterners!)
More after the jump...
The Premise: Like several USA series, Royal Pains starts out with the back-story-in-20-seconds deal before every episode, so let’s let Hank explain the premise of his show. (The quotes are clips from the show they slice into the intro)
I’m Hank. I was your typical emergency room doctor – until I got fired. Hospital admin -“You let a billionaire hospital trustee die to save some kid off the street.”
Hank- “I made a judgment call.”
Admin- “You made a mistake.”
This is my brother.
Evan -“I’m Evan R. Lawson, CPA.”
He took me away from my troubles and to the Hamptons, and suddenly I had the chance to become a whole new kind of doctor. It turns out the wealthy and not-so-wealthy out here could use a guy who makes house calls. So I got a second chance to do what I do best.
Now it’s my turn. Hank was a big-shot NYC doctor until he was forced to make a split-second decision between saving a kid from the street or working on a (seemingly stable) hospital trustee. After the trustee ended up dying, Hank was summarily fired and blackballed from every hospital in the city. He stayed in his NYC apartment for weeks, depressed and hopeless. His fiancée dumped him, and he was reduced to watching TV in his boxers while eating take-out until his younger brother Evan came by and convinced him to head out to the Hamptons (that’s on the far eastern end of Long Island for those of you who may not be so up on your elite, East-coast summer getaways) for an epic party and a chance to get away from his troubles for a weekend. While at the party, he saves the life of a guest. Word apparently travels quickly among the Hampton elites, and the next morning he not only is asked to take on another case as a concierge doctor (a doctor the rich hire to come to their homes and privately take care of their medical issues), but Divya, a Physician’s Assistant shows up at Hank and Evan’s hotel and wants an interview to be his PA. It dawns on Evan that this could be the start of a successful business, and Hank realizes he’s found a place to practice medicine again and help people. Add Jill Casey, the beautiful administrator of the local hospital into the mix, as well as some lively recurring characters, and you’ve got yourself a show.
Characters:
From left to right: Jill Casey, Divya Katdare, Evan Lawson, Hank Lawson
Dr. Hank Lawson (Mark Feuerstein) Hank is a bit (okay a lot) of a do-gooder, which is ironically how he landed the job of catering to the rich and famous. Still, he often comes to the rescue with only available household items and a basic doctor’s kit, like a medical MacGyver. He’s still trying to figure out where he fits in in this new world, but he won’t compromise his ideals for profit (unlike many of his patients…)
Evan Lawson, CPA (Paulo Costanzo) Evan is a fun-loving accountant who has a big mouth but a good heart. Although Evan is often talking his way out of a misunderstanding or into a potential scheme, he is always there to have his brother’s back, even if he does so in an inappropriate and/or melodramatic way. While he fancies himself as something of a ladies man, he never really gets the ladies. Nevertheless, he makes sure that HankMed keeps running as a viable business and provides a good outlet for some of the more ridiculous moments on the show.
Jill Casey (Jill Flint) is the administrator of the local Hamptons Heritage Hospital, where most of Hank’s patients refuse to go because they will be treated as (shock!) regular people and not given priority or special privileges. Although her hospital’s reputation among the wealthy may account for the number of concierge doctors like Hank in the Hamptons, Jill is determined that the ordinary people who live in the Hamptons have access to good medical care. Jill is a local girl and just as principled as Hank. In fact, she and Hank have more than that in common…there’s a great deal of chemistry between the two but the fact that she has a complicated past with an ex-husband has sort of put the damper on things between the two….for now.
Divya Katdare (Reshma Shetty) IS one of the privileged Hamptonites. And while her style, education, and occasional attendance at polo matches and charity galas attest to her upbringing, Divya is determined to break free. Her parents’ expectations are that she will marry an appropriate man and be a good wife. Instead, Divya wants to focus on her career as a Physician’s Assistant (PA) and working for Hank allows her to fulfill part of her dream (even if she has to hide it from her parents at first). Plus, she’s super competent and has gotten Hank (and Evan) out of more than one mess already.
When we last saw our cast…. We learned that HankMed was bankrupt. Evan had trusted their notoriously UNtrustworthy father with the capital of HankMed, and he had lost it all. Without knowing all the facts, Hank unceremoniously told his brother off for screwing up again. At the engagement party Divya’s parents were throwing for her and her arranged-fiance, Divya is determined to end her farce of an engagement. But ultimately, she finds she can’t face public humiliation and embarrassment and goes through with the engagement in a daze. Jill finally decided to definitely, completely, totally end it with her ex, Charlie, and ran to tell Hank that….only to find him sitting on a bench with a former patient who was touching him suggestively (although it really wasn’t THAT compromising, imo…) Alas, she still ran away, and when Hank went to find her later, Charlie opened the door. Hank obviously assumed they were back together and left without talking to Jill. When he returned home, he discovered that Evan had left to see their father….and realized he was the one who had taken the money.
Things to look forward to this season: We’re going to be seeing answers to the questions that last season’s finale left. And we’ll be learning more back story on the Lawson brothers.
Family in general will be a theme throughout the season as well as deeper emotional exploration for all the characters (and more Divya/Evan scenarios!). The producers are also promising to continue the Hank and Jill as just friends storyline for awhile, so get ready for angst-y looks and awkward moments. The show also filmed on location in Puerto Rico for several weeks this year and promises more actual Hamptons location scenes as well, which is great news for me because I personally enjoy gawking at the ridiculous mansions featured on the series.
Guest stars this season include Henry Winkler (The Fonz!), Anastasia Griffith, and Academy-award winner Marcia Gay Harden. Even Big Show from USA's WWE Raw will be guest starring. Similar to what Psych did with John Cena, Mark Feurstein will be on WWE Raw on June 14 and Big Show will be on Royal Pains on July 17. For more details on that, check out the article the Royal Pains twitter posted.
So that wraps up the wrap-up. My last advice: watch and enjoy! Let your mind get engaged for an hour, and if you want to check out more...
~You can watch the last 5 episodes of the first season on the USA Website. We suggest watching the finale so you can refresh your memory and get a taste of what the show is like.
~The first season comes out on DVD today, May 25th! You can buy it at any store that sells DVDs, on Amazon, or see if you can rent it somewhere.
~Also, follow the Official Royal Pains Twitter. Check out their feed today as they will be tweeting live from the set!
Remember to check in with us here at Undercover Characters. We’ve always got you covered!
-Christine
Edited by Jenna
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